A to Z Challenge 2013

Monday, April 4, 2011

A To Z - Demands Of The Times

If you haven't put in an entry for my 200 Followers contest, get yourself over to yesterday's post and do so. I can't imagine anyone who couldn't use a reason to go buy more books.

For today's A To Z though, we're going to talk about Demands. This is a subject close to my heart, because it's something I struggle with constantly. What I'm talking about are demands on my time. If you're anything like me, you have way too many things you could be doing (or should be doing) and not enough hands and feet to juggle it all with. No, I'm not an accomplished foot juggler, but wouldn't that be an interesting ability?

Anyway, I have always found that I have way too many interests, responsibilities, and obligations. And unfortunately, I never have enough time to do them all. So how do I overcome this problem? Eh, I just wing it, which probably doesn't help much. On the good side, I am trying to cultivate some kind of organizational calendar of sorts, but it's a rough road for me to travel.

One important thing I've learned lately is how important it is to make writing a priority. Okay, I've been told that over and over but maybe it's just recently sinking in. I had a dry spell where I wasn't even putting an effort into making time for writing. The minute I sat down and started working on it again (editing, no less), I felt invigorated. I haven't yet squeezed in writing every single day, but at least it's more often than never at all.

If we steer this topic towards how we write, have you ever thought about the demands placed upon your characters? We often envision entire stories in our heads, but if we can consider how the rest of the world affects things (because only hermits can avoid some kind of affect from the world around them - and that's only a maybe), it throws a new dynamic into our writing. I can't say I remember to do it all the time myself, but I'm learning to alter my thinking in that direction.

Demands are a tricky beast. If we get too overloaded (or our characters do), nothing gets accomplished. But if we have nothing demanding our attention, we're a pretty boring story.

Have you taken a look lately at the demands on your time (or your characters)? Are they in tune with where you'd like them to be?

10 comments:

Yes, this post is very applicable to pretty much every writer in todays world. Even within writing, there are so many things: actual writing, reading, research, marketing, etc. Lots of stuff. Some great advice here about how to cope with it!

I wish that life wasn't so demanding, but as a full-time working single working Mom, I can't get away from it. I love the advice to smile and look at life and not let it get me down. This kind of goes along with my "B" post where I wrote about finding Balance in your life.

I'm still working on scheduling my demands. This blogging challenge will keep me on my toes for sure. As for my characters, they are in the process of being revised, so I'm sure their priorities will be reassessed soon. Good luck with the challenge!

About Me

I'm luckily supported by a beautiful and understanding woman. Between her and my two wonderful boys, I find the reasons I need to keep up my attempts at writing. She's very effective at smacking that imp off my back, keeping me from doubting myself, and making me smile. Other than writing, I enjoy finding new & cool musicians/singers/artists, playing games with my sons, and occasionally playing a game or two by myself. Okay, more than occasionally.